Dead or Alive community manager cites “issues” for lack of western release

A representative of Dead or Alive publisher Koei Tecmo has made an interesting comment with regard to its western release plans.

Dead or Alive Xtreme 3, the latest in a series of vacation-themed spin-offs to the famously sexualised fighter series, will not be coming west.

Since the project’s announcement, Koei Tecmo has been quite clear that a localisation was unlikely, due to minimal demand. Now a comment from a community manager has muddied the waters a little.

“We do not bring DOAX3 to the west and won’t have any plan change in the future. Thank you for asking,” a spokesperson wrote on the franchise’s Facebook page.

“Do you know many issues happening in video game industry with regard to how to treat female in video game industry? We do not want to talk those things here. But certainly we have gone through in last year or two to come to our decision. Thank you.”

While the comment is open to some interpretation it does seem to suggest that Koei Tecmo – or at least, this representative – is citing the potential for criticism as the motivating factor behind the lack of English-language release. It’s a strange change in official messaging.

Responses to the comment have been mixed. While it has sparked anger amongst disappointed fans who feel they have someone besides Keoi Tecmo to blame for the decision, USGamer argues the publisher is dodging fan anger and shifting the blame for a (probably sensible) business decision regarding a niche title. The company is, after all, in the business of making money.

The last Dead or Alive release, Dead or Alive 5: Last Round, didn’t spark a furore; in fact, it kind of went under the radar except for disappointment over the iffy PC port.

All this fuss has really made me wonder what potential cultural criticism is preventing Koei Tecmo from bringing over the latest Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

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